North Korea 'sunk South Korean warship', killing 46 sailors

[Sibling Zono (anon1mat0)]

Ok, let's think this thoroughly, let's consider for a second that there is a cover up, and that NK didn't sink the boat. Apart from hawks in Korea/US, who or how would blaming them for it benefit anything? Lowering the public opinion of NK isn't really a goal as it can hardly go lower, making them guilty in the eyes of the world doesn't really change their willingness to negotiate, so the only possible target is China by suggesting that NK can't be trusted and that action against them is becoming the only possible avenue, but I have some trouble imagining China looking the other way just because of an incident like this one.

The whole thing is indeed puzzling.

[ivor]

What if it was accidental?  Say the Americans or the South Koreans accidentally torepedoed the ship or an American mine accidentally blew it up?  The ship would definitely sound different with the props all bent up.  That would be embarrassing....  Embarrassing enough to blame North Korea, rattle the saber and then forget about it?

[Sibling Zono (anon1mat0)]

That's plausible enough although it begs the question, if the propellers were accidentally bent, who shot and why? Even if the boat is on the wrong side of the border to take aggressive action sounds very provocative, specially considering who are we talking about.

The mine scenario would work better except for the decision of blaming NK for it, unless a low rank took the decision and once it was out the brass decided to play along.

[ivor]

Maybe the props bent the way they were it sounded like a torpedo or a sub.  Certainly crazy but who knows.

All it takes is one dummy to screw things up and another dummy to cover his ass with a dumber story.  I don't know.  I'm just saying something is fishy here.

I want to see the Nova investigation on this.   I'm sure there won't be a follow-up investigation and everything will be buried.  The wreckage will be destroyed.  That's how we'll know there was a cover up.

[Swatopluk]

An early analysis I read that was very critical of the torpedo theory claimed that in the area the boat operated in there is a lot of old ordnance on the bottom including mines. Sunk by your own mines is not something one would want on one's resume.

[ivor]

Really?  The Russians were saying something about the Cheonan having her props fouled by a old fish net.  I wonder if the dredged up an old mine when they did that?  If they did that?